Look Back In Yalobusha History

Corporal Paul A. Williams served as a truck driver with a Peninsular Base Section Quartermaster Refrigerator Company during the summer of 1944. His unit served soldiers of the Fifth Army with fresh beef, pork, ham and butter right on the fighting front.
Men of this outfit, all skilled technicians, operated two cold storage plants in Rome capable of storing 300,000 pounds of fresh frozen foods. They kept a constant flow of refrigerator vans moving forward to ration points and made runs carrying them beyond our artillery. The trucks were strafed by enemy aircraft and were caught in artillery duels.
The unit served previously in North Africa and drivers made trips covering 18 days. Each had covered over 20,000 miles in their 15,000 tractor-trailer units with only one serious accident. They also had served in Iceland and England during their two years overseas.

• 5 years ago, Aug. 6, 2009 – Jerry Vaughn won for the second time the Largest Watermelon Contest at the Watermelon Carnival with a 165.6 pound melon. The winning Citrullus lanatus was purchased by Chancery Judge Vicki Cobb for $160.
Police officers Chris Blair and Steve Story were pictured examining the broken front door of the Subway shop on South Main after an attempted burglary there.
Dee Simpson won the quilt raffle held by the Yalobusha General Hospital and Nursing Home Ladies Auxiliary better known as the Pink Ladies.
Lashala Armstrong attended Math Camp at the University of Mississippi
Breanna Foust-Scroggins won the Reserve High Point Gaited Award at the State 4-H Horse Show and would represent Mississippi at the Southern Regional 4-H Show in Little Rock.
• 10 years ago, Aug 5, 2004 – Grand Jurors in the First District returned 24 true bills; four for aggravated assault, 11 for sale of cocaine, one for attempted robbery, one each for possession of methamphetamine and paraphernalia, and two each for possession of marijuana, controlled substances and precursors.
An editorial in the Herald outlined the reasons for Yalobusha’s high property taxes and suggested that supervisors choose not to take a pay raise authorized by the Legislature to virtually put “your money where their mouths are.”
Dot Trusty was honored by the Eastern Star Chapter #5 with a 50-year pin.
Brigadier General Roger Shields, a Water Valley native and commander of the 66th Troop Command headquartered in Jackson, spoke to the Lions Club about the Mississippi National Guard.
Members of the WVHS Dizzy Dean baseball team included Eddie Mister, Nick Harris, Brandon Hall, Shannon Crow, Jason Langdon, Raymond Hawkins, Brandon Hawkins, Eric Brown, Michael Savage, Tripp Edwards, Antonio Johnson, Jeffrey Vance, Steven Tucker, Justin Thomas, James Johnson, and coaches Doug Robbins, David Webb, John Walker, Jace Hamilton and B. J. Phillips.
• 20 years ago, Aug. 4, 1994 – The 1994 Watermelon Kid Hunter Edwards, two-year-old son of Dr. Steve and Dawn Edwards, was pictured eye-doctorin’ a local watermelon. He was quoted as saying, “If potatoes can have eyes, so can watermelons.”
Alexander’s Home Health Care opened the Family Health Clinic of Water Valley with Dr. Joe Walker as resident physician and staff, Paula McDonald, LPN; Becky Haley, LPN; and Irene Magee, medical records clerk.
The Water Valley Post Office offered a special Watermelon Carnival cancellation at City Park. The watermelon design of the cancellation was drawn by artist Mari Foster.
Charles G. White, the city’s first African-American police officer, died July 28 at the age of 87.
• 30 years ago, Aug. 9, 1984 – Winners in the Watermelon Carnival “Biggest Melon” contest were Lawrence Vaughn and Derek Surrette, who both entered melons weighing 61 pounds. Second place was J. C. Winters with a 47-pounder and third place, Bennett Crow with a 40-pounder. Derek was also pictured with a cute little Margaret Keith who purchased his melon for $20 at auction.
Julie Ingram was named Mississippi’s Polled Hereford Queen.
James A. Larson was on the winning team in the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic Pro-Am golf tournament. His team had the low score of 16 under par.
• 40 years ago, Aug 8, 1974 – Holley Carburetor employees were evacuated immediately Aug. 7 around 10:30 a.m. when the switchboard operator received a telephone call saying that a bomb had been planted in the building.
Kenzie Tinnon of Tillatoba was chosen as outstanding crewmember by the U. S. Forest Service Youth Conservation Corp crew.
Earl Nichols and J. W. Forsyth Sr. were in a run-off for Justice of the Peace Beat Three.
• 50 years ago, Aug. 6, 1964 – The best players of all the WV Peewee teams were selected as an All-Star team to play in the Little League tournament. They were Wally Berg, Reed Thompson, Bobby Ellis, David Williamson, Cliff Craven, Mike Horan, Bill Wright, Tommy Oakes, Freddy Moorman, Al Reed, Mitch Johnson, Ronald Pinkerton, Gary Morris, Steve Holloway, Johnny Holloway and Mike Hale. They opened the tournament against Coffeeville and were defeated 13-0.
Mrs. Lenora H. Easley received a 35-year pin and Mrs. Janice Cotton a 25-year pin for their years of service to Southern Bell Telephone Company.
Don Lancaster, a Water Valley native and building materials salesman at the time, won top honors in the club print competition of the Photographic Society of America for a photograph of his two sons gazing at a candle, the only light in the picture. Don would become best known as a professional postcard photographer of Memphis scenes and lesser known as a riverboat captain. Don passed away in October of 2013.
• 60 years ago, Aug. 5, 1954 – An old pistol discharged accidentally killing a four-year-old boy, Lawrence Steen. He was shot by his seven-year-old brother. The youngsters were the children of Leonard Steen, a tenant on the Jim Wilbourn farm.
Five men were inducted into the Army and forwarded to the Jackson induction station: John Donald Dickey, Rodolfus Gene Inman, both of Water Valley; William Bufford Bonner, Oakland; William Jones Jr. and John Elmer Bland, both of Coffeeville.
• 70 years ago, Aug. 3, 1944 – American casualties were mounting as troops penetrated Hitler’s fortress Europe and activity was picking up in the south Pacific. The Herald listed several local boys who were wounded and one with local connections who was killed. Among the casualties were George T. Flynn, slightly wounded in France; Talmadge Dickey, wounded in New Guinea; Ray Howard, shrapnel wounds received in Saipian; Hudia Perry, wounded in the back in France; and Hubert Walker, brother to Mrs. Ed Mays, killed in France.
Fall woolen clothing was arriving at the stores – some getting items that hadn’t been available since the beginning of the war. Both McCullar-Suratt Company and Wagner and Company were advertising suits and coats.
• 80 years ago, Aug. 10, 1934 – Catherine McCor-mack of Coffeeville was elected Queen of the Water Valley Watermelon Carnival. Miss McCormack, sponsored by the Coffeeville American Legion Post, was selected from among 15 contestants.
A record 238 railroad boxcars of melons were shipped out in spite of the drought that cut production about 25 percent.
A full-page ad touted the upcoming carnival “Mississippi’s Biggest Day” with Mississippi’s biggest dance featuring the band Lee Cannon and his 12 Cannon Balls. Water Valley’s slogan at the time was “Come to the town where there are no strangers.”
In the want ads: Lost – set of upper teeth sometime Friday night. Finder call at depot and get reward. G. W. Faucett, Agent.